American Citizens and Nothing Else: What the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025 would do — and what it means for dual U.S. citizens

American Citizens and Nothing Else: What the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025 would do — and what it means for dual U.S. citizens

Wait, What? What is Trump Doing Now about US citizenship.

The Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025 is now before the U.S. Congress. It will fundamentally change how the United States treats dual (or multiple) nationality.

What the Bill Actually Says. Will I Lose My U.S. Citzenship?

The bill makes it unlawful to hold U.S. citizenship at the same time as any foreign citizenship. If you voluntarily acquire a foreign citizenship after the law’s effective date, you will face the relinquisment of your U.S. citizenship. Further, if you are currently a dual citizen, the law requires renouncement of either U.S. Citizenship or your foreign citizenship no later than one year after enactment. The bill is a proposal (not law). Congress is considering the action. If successful, the law will face significant constitutional and practical hurdles.

The bill text and official summary make a few clear points:

• Ban on dual or multiple citizenship — The statute would say that a person “may not be a citizen or national of the United States while simultaneously possessing any foreign citizenship.” That creates a flat prohibition on holding both U.S. and foreign nationality at the same time.
• Acquiring foreign citizenship after enactment — If someone who is a U.S. citizen voluntarily becomes a citizen of another country after the law’s effective date, that person “shall be deemed to have relinquished United States citizenship.” In other words, obtaining a new foreign passport could automatically strip U.S. citizenship.
• Existing dual citizens — one-year choice — People who are already dual citizens would have one year after enactment to submit either: (a) a written renunciation of their foreign citizenship to the State Department, or (b) a written renunciation of U.S. citizenship to DHS. If they don’t choose within that window, they would be deemed to have relinquished U.S. citizenship under the immigration statute referenced in the bill.
• Timing and administration — The prohibition would take effect 180 days after enactment. The Secretary of State and DHS would be required to write implementing regulations and publish notice in the Federal Register. Those rules would govern verification, recordkeeping, and how federal systems flag individuals who are treated as no longer U.S. citizens.

Who Would this Affect

If enacted, law, a very broad group will suffer the consequences:

• Americans born with another nationality (for example, children born in the U.S. to foreign parents who confer citizenship at birth) would be forced to choose within the statutory timelines or risk losing U.S. citizenship.
• Naturalized U.S. citizens who keep their original citizenship would face the same choice. Under the bill, continuing to hold both would not be permitted.
• Americans living abroad who acquire a foreign nationality (for marriage, descent, or naturalization) could automatically lose U.S. citizenship if the acquisition is “voluntary” after the law’s effective date.
• U.S. passport holders: Departments would need to coordinate to treat people deemed to have relinquished U.S. citizenship as non-citizens for immigration purposes. This could potentially affect passports, Social Security, travel, residency, benefits, and re-entry rights.

Legal Issues and Likely Challenges

Attorney Raymond Lahoud has signaled that the bill will face intense constitutional and statutory scrutiny:

• Existing Supreme Court doctrine — U.S. precedent has long recognized that people can possess dual nationality in many circumstances.  Changing that through statute raises questions about whether Congress can treat passive or even some “voluntary” acts as automatic loss of citizenship without clear intent and procedural protections. Legal commentators are already flagging these problems.
• Constitutional questions — Opponents argue the bill would collide with constitutional protections (including due process and the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment, as interpreted by courts). Many analysts expect legal challenges if the bill were to pass.
• Administrative complexity — Implementing a forced-choice regime for millions of dual nationals would require massive administrative systems for verification, notifications, appeals, and cross-checking with foreign governments. Those systems would likely be the subject of litigation and diplomatic friction.

Practical Impacts

• A U.S. citizen who holds citizenship of Country X at birth would have to renounce Country X’s citizenship (to the foreign government) and provide proof to the U.S. State Department. Alternatively, file a renunciation of U.S. citizenship within one year of the law’s enactment. If they fail to act, the U.S. will treat them as having voluntarily relinquished U.S. citizenship.
• An American who naturalizes in another country after the law takes effect could lose U.S. citizenship automatically by operation of the statute (if the acquisition is “voluntary”). Even if they didn’t intend to give up U.S. citizenship in the constitutional sense — a major source of litigation risk.
• U.S. military members or public servants with foreign nationality will need to make hard choices about career and family ties.
• Tax and expatriation consequences: If someone chooses (or is deemed) to abandon U.S. citizenship, ordinary expatriation rules — including potential “exit tax” and filing obligations for covered expatriates — will apply. The bill does not change tax law. However, losing U.S. citizenship can trigger complex tax consequences. Consult a tax advisor.

What the Bill Does Not Do

• It is not yet law. As of this article, the bill has been introduced and widely reported but has not passed both houses or been signed. That means dual citizenship remains legal under current U.S. law.
• It does not alter the tax code directly. However, the practical effect of losing citizenship could trigger existing expatriation tax rules in some cases.

Likely Next Steps and Timeline

• If the bill advanced, it would be referred to committee, debated, and could be amended. The bill text itself sets an effective date: the prohibition would take effect 180 days after enactment. Dual citizens would then have one year to choose. But before those clocks ever start, the bill must become law — and that is uncertain.
• Because the bill raises constitutional issues, Courts expect rapid legal challenges from civil-rights groups and affected individuals if it were enacted. Courts could delay or block key provisions pending review.

What Dual Citizens and Those Considering Another Nationality Should Do Now

• Don’t panic — dual citizenship is legal today. The proposal is real and newsworthy, but it’s not law yet.
• Document your status. Keep records that show how you acquired your foreign citizenship and whether it was automatic at birth or the result of voluntary naturalization. Those facts matter in any future legal or administrative process.
• Talk to professionals — If you’re concerned (e.g., you plan to naturalize in another country, or you hold foreign nationality by descent), consult both an immigration attorney and a tax advisor. The potential consequences (immigration status, passport validity, tax exposure) are complex.
• Follow the legislation — Watch the bill’s progress on official sources (Congress.gov) and credible news outlets so you know whether timelines become real.

The Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025, as drafted, would be a sweeping change: it seeks to eliminate dual nationality for U.S. citizens by statute. It would impose a one-year choice window on existing dual citizens and cause automatic relinquishment in certain circumstances. The bill is generating immediate legal and political debate. If it advanced, it would almost certainly provoke constitutional litigation and administrative complexity.

For now, dual citizenship remains lawful. Anyone worried about how the proposal might affect them should consult immigration and tax counsel. Stay informed as the legislative process unfolds.